Small Group Questions Based On Luke 2:8-20

1) Have you ever spent time on a farm or in a barn with farm animals? What was it like? Can you imagine sleeping or having a baby there?

2) Angels broke into the normal evening for these shepherds. Have you ever experienced something like that? An unusual premonition, or startling thought, or some way you felt heaven break into your everyday life?

3) It’s easy to “rate” people based on their social stature. We all do it to a degree. Have you discovered any ways to try to keep from doing that?

4) In what ways do you think the church could do a better job of “leveling the playing field”?

5) When we die, we can’t take it with us. What will be the basis for God letting you into heaven?

Small Group Questions

1) What do you do to relax after a stressful day? Does it work to comfort you?

2) Describe some observations in the text (Matt. 2:1-18) about the Magi (people of power and influence) versus Herod (a person of power and influence).

3) How did the coming of Jesus disturb people?

4) How did the coming of Jesus comfort people?

5) How do you think people are both comforted and disturbed today by the presence of Jesus?

6) Discuss ways the church can be both comforting and disturbing.

Small Group Questions

1) Where did your grandparents grow up, were they insiders or outsiders? Parents? What do you hope for your children (niece, nephew)?

2) Do you think the podcast was too hard on the ineffective use of words? Describe.

3) Read Luke 7:36-50. Do you think this applies?

4) What do you think it means to be an insider who opens doors? What would that look like?

5) What do you think it means to use privilege to lift another up? Have you seen something like this before?

6) Can you think of a time when you or a group you know reached out to “outsiders” and it was messy and difficult but worked?

Small Group Questions

1) What does our advertising industry want you to believe about yourself?

           a) You are free to buy whatever you want.

           b) You are inadequate without this product(s)

           c) You will live a better life if you buy more.

           d) You need more to live better.

           e) People won’t value you unless you are in the latest fashion.

 2) In Luke 9:24-25, Jesus said: For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it. What does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit themselves?   What did he mean by this?

 3) Do you know the purpose God has for your life that gives it meaning? If so, can you share it? If not, how do you think you can find it or know it?

 4) When you have left this life, how do you want to be remembered?

Small Group Questions

1) Did you vote in the last election? How did you decide whom to vote for?

2) Which of these do you think is mostly true today?

           a) People talk easily with each other about their political disagreements.

           b) People are careful with whom they discuss politics.

           c) People get angry with those they disagree with.

           d) People think those who disagree with them are morons.

3) Describe a situation you were in when politics ruined the gathering.

4) Describe a situation you were in when there was a creative political conversation with differences expressed and you learned how others see the world?

5) Reflecting back on #4, what communication skills were used that helped people discuss differences creatively?

6) Do you think it’s true that a Christian might vote “all over the place” in an election, meaning different political parties?

Small Group Questions

Before talking about this, make sure everyone in the group is comfortable having this discussion.

1) What do you like to do with your partner to keep romance alive? E.g. vacations, dining out, date nights, etc.

2) What keeps quality time with your partner from happening?

3) Have you found some conversational tools to be able to talk about difficult issues without getting too defensive? This can be on any topic.

4) Why is it so hard for Christians to talk about sex in general?

Study Questions

1) Read Luke 10:38-42. Are you more of a Martha or a Mary?

2) Jesus challenges Martha to be more like Mary. If Jesus were to challenge Mary, what might He say to her?

3) If Jesus came to your house for dinner, what would He say to you about what distracts you from listening to Him?

4) When is the best day and time to create “white space” for God?

5) As Christians, we often use our prayer time to lift up prayers for others, or for an outcome in our lives. Have you ever thought of prayer as also inner discovery? What do you think of the relationship between knowing God and inner discovery?

6) What is the difference between the true self and the false self? How does knowing God, the Lord’s grace and acceptance, help with that?

Small Group Questions

1) What happens when politics comes up at your large family gatherings?

2) Some say politics should never be in church. What do you think?

3) The Stanford student said the Christian way of changing society by changing hearts is too slow. Do you agree? What is the alternative?

4) We often think of confession and repentance as acts to do when we fail in our individual morality. Isaiah seems to think it relates to the behavior of a whole society. Is it possible to confess and seek repentance as a church? A nation?

5) What would it look like if our church was really on fire for the Lord?

Small Group Questions

1) Do you find time to rest? What do you do to refuel yourself? Does it last a week or do you get depleted on Monday and sputter through the rest of the week?

2) Do you have a method of keeping a good balance in your life that works? Can you share it with the group?

3) What are different ways a person can keep the Sabbath?

4) What happens to you when you fail to keep the Sabbath? Who ends up suffering the consequences?

5) Look at Mark 2:23-3:6. Especially note verse 2:27. What is the difference between people made for the Sabbath versus the Sabbath designed for people?

Small Group Questions

1) What does solidarity mean to you? Can you give an example?

2) What are natural ways we form groups (e.g. family, work friends, etc.)? Have you ever felt like an outsider of a group you wanted to be in? What was that like? Did you make it “in” eventually? Or not?

3) Some compare the Book of Ruth to parables that Jesus taught. How do you think they are similar? Different?

4) How do churches create insiders and outsiders? Is there a way for a church to be welcoming to all people? What would that look like?

5) What one thing can you do to challenge your own “insider/outsider” thinking?